Orlando police responded about 12:30 a.m. to theThanh Thao Karaoke Lounge at 1212 Woodward Street, just east of Mills Avenue and north of...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 05:57:41 PSTOrange school leaders spend $500K just about any way they wantAnnie Martinhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-orange-school-board-funds-20161208-story.html
Orange County School Board members over the past two years have spent more than $500,000 in taxpayer money with little oversight on everything from cheerleading outfits to gardening supplies.

From the tourist district to western Orange County, locally owned retailers are preparing for their busiest season of the year. And some of the area's most popular neighborhoods have added new attractions and...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 15:59:01 PSTVisit Florida cash under fire? Goodscott maxwellhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-visit-florida-corcoran-floriduh-scott-maxwell-20161209-column.html
Today's Friday Files feature Pitbull, a topless woman, a debate over the death penalty and a tribute to a politician who got slaughtered at the polls last month.

But first, let's talk tourism.

It's been a long time since any top politician took on this state's tourism bosses.

Disclaimer: These photographs and charges are provided by Orange County Corrections of people booked into the Orange County Jail during the past 30 days. They have not been convicted of the charges listed and are presumed innocent. The...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 03:28:00 PSTForecasters: Cool, wet weather won't last all weekendStephanie Allenhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-cool-weather-weekend-orlando-20161209-story.html
Don't get too attached to the cool weather, as forecasters say Central Florida will likely be back to 80 degrees by Monday.

Most of the area woke up Friday morning to wet roads from scattered morning showers and temperatures slightly below-average in the low 50s.

Though you can probably stash away...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 07:21:02 PSTJohn Glenn dies at 95; hero was first American to orbit EarthGeraldine Baum and Valerie J. Nelsonhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/la-me-john-glenn-20161208-story.html
When his bell-shaped capsule splashed into the ocean after orbiting Earth again and again, John Glenn emerged an instant hero — the fighter-jock pilot of few words who in just five hours of circling the planet helped cement America’s faith that it could lead the race into outer space.

He walked...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 14:45:00 PSTInnocent mother shot in face at Pine Hills gas station has died, deputies sayChristal Hayeshttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-woman-shot-pine-hills-gas-station-20161207-story.html
An innocent mother who was shot in the face at a Pine Hills gas station died at the hospital Thursday, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Kendra La Sheka Lewis, 27, was driving a blue Toyota Corolla through the parking lot of a Citgo station at Silver Star and Pine Hills roads Wednesday...

Flight attendants and others have complained that the calls could be disruptive. But the Department of Transportation said Thursday that it envisioned allowing the calls if airlines tell...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 05:51:00 PST'Institutional conspiracy': Report details Russian doping scheme with more than 1,000 athletes in 30 sportsTribune news serviceshttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/ct-russia-doping-report-20161209-story.html
A new report into systematic Russian doping details a wide-ranging "institutional conspiracy" that involved more than 1,000 athletes across more than 30 sports, including evidence corroborating large-scale sample swapping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard...
]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 05:43:00 PSTPulse nightclub to hold vigil at 2:02 a.m. on 6-month mark of shootingChristal Hayeshttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-pulse-nightclub-vigils-six-months-20161208-story.html
A number of vigils are planned Monday to mark the six-month anniversary of the massacre at Pulse nightclub that left 49 dead and at least 68 others injured, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

The nightclub is hosting two "Remembering Our Angels" events starting with a candlelight vigil...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 17:04:00 PSTFlorida: Record number of manatees killed by boats in 2016JASON DEARENhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-ap-florida-record-number-of-manatees-killed-by-boats-20161208-story.html
A record number of manatees were killed in 2016 by boat strikes, according to state wildlife data, but overall the number of the beloved sea cows increased in Florida this year.Data posted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data show that 98 endangered manatees died by watercraft...
]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 14:20:00 PSTDeputies: Volusia police dog Forest killed by friendly fireDavid Harrishttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-forest-k9-volusia-sheriff-20161208-story.html
A police dog for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office killed last month was shot by friendly fire, an agency spokesman said Thursday.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined that suspect Eddie Durell Powell did not fire his gun, said Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson....

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 16:41:19 PSTUgly produce feeds the hungryLauren Delgadohttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-society-st-andrew-family-fund-20161209-story.html
There was no slowing down the sixth-graders from Windermere Preparatory School.

Their energy barely waned from the moment they stepped off the buses at Long & Scott Farms near Mount Dora until they loaded the day's harvest onto a trailer.

The 10- and 11-year-old students squatted and bent over...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 00:00:00 PSTCops: Florida father, son hired homeless men to kill motherhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-ap-homeless-hit-men-20161208-story.html
A Florida man and his son are charged with trying to hire a homeless man to murder the older man's mother.

Treasure Coast Newspapers reported Wednesday that the pair sought out homeless men using free wireless internet at a Vero Beach McDonald's to carry out the plot.

Arrested were 44-year-old...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 07:39:00 PSTStay or go? Tribe gives conflicting messages to Dakota Access pipeline protest campTribune news serviceshttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/ct-dakota-access-pipeline-protest-camp-20161208-story.html
For protesters fighting the Dakota Access pipeline, the messages from the Standing Rock Sioux reservation are confusing: The tribal chairman tells demonstrators that it's time to leave their camp and go home. Another leader implores them to stay through the bitter North Dakota winter.

The conflicting...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 13:20:00 PSTJudge: Winter Park can issue bonds for new library in MLK ParkRyan Gillespiehttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-winter-park-library-ruling-20161208-story.html
A judge ruled Wednesday that the City of Winter Park can issue bonds to build its new 50,000-square-foot library complex in Martin Luther King Park, court records show.

Voters narrowly approved a $30 million bond for the project in March, which also includes an 8,500-square-foot civic center and...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 14:36:00 PSTAnother try for liquor in grocery storesKyle Arnoldhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-retail-restaurant-1212-20161208-story.html
Some Florida legislators and retail lobbyists are again pushing to knock down the wall between grocers and liquor stores.

In the latest push to alter Florida's alcohol laws, lawmakers in the state Senate and House of Representatives filed bills this week to allow grocery stores to sell spirits.

...
]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 11:35:00 PSTAdventist Health System appoints new president/CEONaseem S. Millerhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-terry-shaw-new-adventist-health-system-ceo-20161208-story.html
Terry Shaw is taking the helm at Adventist Health System, the parent organization for Florida Hospital, as new president/CEO, the organization announced on Thursday.

Effective immediately, Shaw will replace Don Jernigan, who retired on Dec. 8 after a decade in the position. Jernigan is transitioning...

The largely rural county known for attracting Northeastern retirees diversified more than any other in Central Florida, with its Puerto...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 06:48:00 PSTOh, good grief! Charlie Brown warms the heart in ICE!Caitlin Dineenhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-calendar-ice-gaylord-palms-20161209-story.html
For someone who's always so down on his luck, Charlie Brown has never been cooler.

Cool might be an understatement, actually. The lovable Charles Schulz character is downright cold as he comes to life at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in the one form that might not survive a Florida...

]]>Fri, 9 Dec 2016 00:00:00 PSTStruggling students get early reading helpKyle Arnoldhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-foundation-for-orange-county-public-schools-family-fund-20161208-story.html
Eccleston Elementary School first-grader Edriel Cotto hung on tutor Makisha Odom's every word as she read "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash."

When he was done, 6-year-old Edriel drew a picture of the long snake in orange, black and yellow crayon, repeating back to Odom the plot of the story.

At...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 12:16:00 PSTFun Spot adding wooden coaster at Kissimmee parkDewayne Bevilhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-fun-spot-wooden-coaster-kissimmee-20161208-story.html
A wooden roller coaster is expected to open next year at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, the company announced Thursday.

The ride will be the only wooden coaster in the Southeast U.S. to include a barrel roll, according to John Arie Jr., Fun Spot CEO.

"We have worked tirelessly with the Gravity...

]]>Thu, 8 Dec 2016 09:51:00 PSTBig Four accounting firm considers $430M center in Lake NonaPaul Brinkmannhttp://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-kpmg-lake-nona-20161208-story.html
One of the four largest accounting and professional services firms in the world is considering Lake Nona for a new, $430M global training and conference center.

A spokesman for the firm, New York-based KPMG, confirmed that Orlando is a finalist for the center, which could bring 80 jobs with an...